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MOBILITY
MANAGE EMPLOYEE EXPENSES ON THE FLY
Mobile platforms are revolutionizing the way government manages
employee-initiated speCAPTURING AND managing
nd.
of spending refers to anything not governed by a traditional purchase-order process, including procurement cards and travel-related expenses.
Historically, these activities have relied on manual, paper-based processes. That means they’ve been significantly prone to error. By automating the way employees record these transactions, agencies can capture more timely and accurate information. Better data increases agency insight, resulting in a greater ability
to negotiate prices and manage budgets while increasing transparency. As employees have become more mobile, innovations in the way they can capture and input data has increased data accuracy and reduced processing time. Today, employees can capture spend data wherever they are by simply taking a photo of the receipt and uploading it to their expense management system.
Government employees are constantly making decisions on behalf of the agency. Sometimes those decisions are unplanned, unintentional, or made while on the road performing agency work. Agencies need to have control over all spending and visibility—whether it’s a necessary transaction that arises out of an unanticipated situation or proactively making spend decisions, such as booking a flight or purchasing supplies. When an agency’s spend management system is configured in alignment with governing policy, compliance can be automatically enforced, and employees can easily make decisions that abide by those policies on the road, at home, or in the office.
When agencies are selecting an expense management solution, they should consider
a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider that embraces mobility, seamlessly integrates with agency ERP solutions, and provides an open platform. Open platforms further extend system
innovations by allowing business partners to integrate new apps into the system. For example, if an employee uses Uber to get a ride to the airport, the information generated through Uber’s app can automatically feed into an open platform.
Leveraging user-friendly mobile apps is an untapped resource among most government agencies. When agencies adopt a connected solution accessible from a smartphone, they put the tools government employees need to do their jobs in their hands. Not only do employees enjoy a great user experience, but they also are more capable of meeting agency objectives anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, mobile tools are important for attracting and retaining younger employees to government service jobs because they want to be able to do business the way they manage their personal lives.
When mobile apps are not available because
of security concerns, employees often end up carrying two devices so they can access apps from their personal device to be more productive. This practice can further contribute to blind spend within an agency and has negative implications for fulfilling an agency’s obligation to safeguard its employees.
As companies continue to innovate, the mobile environment remains a secure and effective environment for government agencies; yet only a handful are taking advantage of the available technology. Agencies using these systems have significantly reduced their time to reimbursement—from as long as 10 days down to same-day reimbursement, and reduced fraudulent or unintentional mileage reimbursements—one of the largest contributor to improper payments.
The ability to capture all employee-initiated spend in an accurate and timely manner is a huge opportunity for agencies to be more effective, save money, and better manage their mission outcomes.
Matt Gibbons is Senior Director of Public Sector Sales at Concur.
SPONSORED CONTENT
MATT GIBBONS
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SECTOR SALES, CONCUR
employee-initiated spending is now much easier for government agencies, thanks to several exciting developments in mobile technology. This category
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